Great Joy: A God Who Keeps His Promises

One of the hardest parts of faith is waiting.

Waiting stretches us. It exposes our doubts. It tempts us to believe that maybe God has forgotten, delayed too long, or quietly changed His mind. That tension sits right at the heart of Luke 1. And it’s exactly where we find Zechariah.

When Zechariah first heard the angel Gabriel announce that he and Elizabeth would have a son, he struggled to believe it. After all, they were old. The timing made no sense. And so Zechariah—this faithful priest—was struck silent for nine long months. Nine months to wait. Nine months to think. Nine months to wrestle with whether God really keeps His word.

Then the miracle happens. John is born. Zechariah regains his speech. And the first thing out of his mouth is not explanation or analysis; it’s praise.

Luke tells us that Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and “prophesied, saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people’” (Luke 1:68). This blessing—often called the Benedictus—is a declaration that God has kept His promises.

What’s striking is the tense Zechariah uses. He says God has redeemed His people. Past tense. But nothing visible has happened yet. Jesus hasn’t been born. The cross is decades away. So what is Zechariah talking about?

He’s speaking with prophetic confidence. When God acts, the outcome is already settled. The arrival of John, the forerunner, means the Redeemer is at the door. God’s plan, promised for centuries, is now in motion.

Zechariah roots this moment deep in Israel’s story. He speaks of God’s covenant with Abraham and His promise to David. A Savior is coming from David’s line. A blessing is coming that will extend to the whole world. This isn’t a new idea. It’s the fulfillment of everything God has been saying from the beginning.

In fact, the Bible’s first promise of salvation goes all the way back to the garden. Before God fully explains the consequences of sin, He promises a Savior—one who would crush the serpent’s head. From that moment on, Scripture tells one unified story: God rescuing His people through His chosen King.

John the Baptist has a crucial role in that story. Zechariah says to his newborn son, “You will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways” (Luke 1:76). John’s job isn’t to save—it’s to prepare. To call people to repentance. To wake them up. To tell them, “Get ready. The Savior is coming.”

And that’s where this story presses on us.

John’s life pointed people to Jesus. Ours should too.

Some of us, like Zechariah, struggle to believe that God can really work in our situation. Forgive that sin. Heal that relationship. Restore that marriage. Meet that need. But the God who kept His promises to Israel has not changed. He is still the God of miracles. He is still faithful. He is still at work. Even when we can’t yet see it.

Great joy comes from trusting a God who always keeps His promises. And the greatest promise of all is this: Jesus has come to save His people.

And He will finish what He started.